Mom was all about hellfire and brimstone. Her Old Testament God was a colossal, ancient brute, a maelstrom of blood and fire, of appetite and wrath.

The God of the Old Testament is the depiction of evil.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New.

Throughout the Old Testament, God warns his chosen people about the perils of assimilation, shiksappeal and false gods.

Perhaps the best-known Old Testament example of perseverance is the story of Job.